Which dots to connect? Employment centers and commuting inequalities in Bogotá

Abstract

Accessibility and equality evaluations have been primarily focused on residential location. However, workplace location might be an equivalent contributor to inequalities in the travel experience and accessibility. Traditionally, transport planning connects high-demand areas with the best-quality and capacity transport infrastructures. Literature supports that employment centers (EC) receive mainly workers in certain middle-to high-income occupations. This condition results in a type of segregation pattern associated with trip destinations and modal choice similar to those reported for the household location. This paper investigates commuting from a different standpoint, emphasizing the need to consider workplace location and employment distribution within cities. We identify five main EC in Bogotá, Colombia, and explore their association with the commuting mode choice of three population groups using mixed logit models. Results indicate that people who work in any EC tend to use more public transport (PT). Nevertheless, the probability of selecting PT differs among groups. Specifically, for low-income commuters, PT represents lower utility than that for middle-income commuters if their job is located in an EC. The fact that the population most likely to be public transport captive does not find this alternative as attractive as the middle-income segment needs further investigation for better policymaking.